Nintendo’s portable 3D system is finding an unlikely new home.
The company has joined forces with the famous French museum the Louvre, to showcase that the 3DS is about more than just gaming.
No, the 3DS isn’t getting its own exhibit in the museum. Instead, if you visit the Louvre, you will be able to “rent” a multimedia guide on your glasses-free 3D handheld.
The virtual guide provides users with commentary on the various artwork throughout the museum, as well as a ton of supplemental 3D images and animations.
It is a strong move by Nintendo to prove to the world that it understands the modern state of video game devices – they cannot be, as Nintendo has always prided itself on being, just about games.
To be a viable manufacturer in video games these days, you need to be able to offer more than just games. The 3DS also has Netflix streaming support and gives users a wide selection of non-gaming apps they can buy and download.
The Wii doesn’t share that same vision. Even though the industry was on the cusp of the digital revolution, Nintendo played it safe with its current home console.
The Wii was designed with the novel idea of being able to download classic Nintendo games. Nintendo thought that’s all it would need in terms of Internet connectivity. It truly didn’t believe that online gaming and digital distribution would be important for this console cycle. How wrong it was.
Now, Nintendo engineers have needed to work with the limited infrastructure they have to allow for things like Netflix streaming and downloadable content add-ons to games, something that seems like a necessary part of gaming today but something that was definitely not part of the Wii’s design.
The Wii U will be launching later this year, and there are still questions about whether or not Nintendo will “get it” this time around. The company has been very quiet with regard to the upcoming console’s Internet connectivity options.
